White Lights of Bliss
by DazedConfusedAndHappyAboutIt
Summary: After the mess with Izaya, Celty is finally reunited with her head. But is that a good thing? Please comment!


The reds and oranges of a smoggy summer evening had been hovering over the city for the past hour. As the sun set behind this concrete jungle, shadows cast across the streets like long fingers. The few clouds above hung with tints of blue and purple, outlined by a thin line of yellow round its perimeter. There was a warm breeze that swept through the open sliding door and the sounds of congested traffic and the commotion of people drifted in and out of audibility. There was a woman sitting at the kitchen table, staring intensely at a severed head. To be more precise, it was her own head that she was staring at.

"Celty, I'm home," Shinra shouted as he shut the front door to his apartment. He carried with him and few bags, full of groceries and other assorted nick-knacks. It wasn't that Shinra bought things on whimsy, but some things were necessary: a USB drive, Celty's soap that she (and Shinra) liked, toothpaste and glasses lens cleaning solution. But so consumed by the thoughts swirling within her consciousness was she that she neither responded, nor heard her friend's greeting. When he walked down the hallway, he was startled when he saw her sitting there, silent as death. Though without functioning vocal chords, she could not readily respond. Though this was the case, Shinra would argue that he could hear her speak, whether or not anyone else could. It was an invisible bond that the pair shared; a thin, red string connecting them in not only mind, but soul.

Regardless, even though he could hear her voice, he did not hear a thing. When she finally realized Shinra was home, Celty frantically shuffled her hands around, trying to grab her not-so-elusive PDA

[Sorry I didn't say anything.]

"It's quite alright," he said. "I figured you were doing something, so I wasn't caught off guard when you didn't answer." Shinra began putting away the groceries he'd picked up as Celty continued staring at her head. "Anything new and exciting?"

….

"What is it?"

_You're going to think I'm insane_.

"Celty, there's nothing that you could possibly do that would make me think of you that way." No matter how many times it'd happened in the past twenty years, she'd never gotten completely use to his ability to read her thoughts. Maybe it was merely because they'd been living together for that long that he'd learned to listen. She began to type again.

[I think my head's been talking to me. Like, it's been saying a few words, and then going silent for a few hours.]

"Maybe it's trying to direct you."

[To do what? Make myself a nut job?] Shinra couldn't help but laugh at Celty's response.

"Though there's never been medical documentation of such a thing, there have been instances when two souls can communicate over long distances, telepathically maybe." Ordinarily, Celty probably would've unintentionally tuned out as Shinra began to talk about medical things (that she didn't really find any relevance in). This was different.

[So, you're saying that I should listen to it?]

"I'd say that's your best option. You never know what it'll tell you if you listen hard enough. My advice: write down what you hear it say. Maybe then we can put this proverbial puzzle together."

So Celty listened patiently and without distraction. Besides her occasional transporting job, she'd all but kept to her room, trying to decipher the cryptic riddles of her still head. There were a few nights when Celty had fallen asleep; neck resting on her desk. The following mornings, having no recollection of ever falling asleep in such an awkward position, she would be constantly perplexed when she found her pillow under her neck and a blanket neatly lain across her figure. On one such a night, she was awoken mid-dream, barely catching a glimpse of Shinra, leaving her room. The blanket she now held close to her still chest, smelt faintly like her roommate.

Shinra had all but dozed off. His eyelids were heavy with fatigue as Celty sat in her spot.

He closed his eyes for a split second.

He awoke; close to an hour had passed. Celty sat next to him, anxious and troubled. He propped his body up with his forearm and, lying on Celty's bed, asked, "What's wrong?"

She sat motionless next to him on her bed. She looked over and cupped her hand around his cheek, as if to say, _don't worry about it_. She took up her PDA and began to type.

[I think I figured out how to attach my head again….but I'm not sure if I should try. What if something happens? What If I never see you again? What if I…forget you? I'm not sure if I could do that to y-]. Shinra placed his hand on hers, his face void of fatigue and instead, emphasizing concern and sincerity.

"If it's what you want, I shouldn't try to get in your way."

[But I don't know if it's what I want….I don't want to hurt you…..]

"I'll manage somehow. But if this is the last time I see you, can I ask something of you?" Celty paused, signaling Shinra to continue.

"I'd like to sleep with you tonight. When I fall asleep, you can do whatever you choose to do. Is that okay?"

Celty nodded, but the way that her neck muscles twitched as she shook it in a nod, she might as well have been sobbing. As she changed into her sleeping wear, Shinra covered his eyes with his hands.

_I don't think there's really any need for that. It's not like you haven't peeked on me before. _ Shinra removed his hands, and simply looked. There was not lust, nor desire, nor temptation in his eyes; he merely took in the beauty of her form. Her pale skin shone in the evening light. Long arms waved and danced in the black night. She slowly turned as she put her shirt on, accentuating her curves beneath soft cloth. The shirt set down to her mid thigh and passed her fingertips by a few inches. The collar was stretched out and hung on one shoulder more than the other, exposing her collar bone.

She crawled into her bed, next to him. She leaned against her arm, holding her above him. He stared into her eyes and her into his. He reached his hand up and cupped where her cheek would've been. Her neck craned, wishing she had a cheek that would be rubbing against his palm.

Celty relaxed the muscles in her arm and she fell onto Shinra, quickly wrapping her arms around his neck. Her shoulders jerked back and forth violently, crying tears she couldn't cry. However, Shinra could see them. He saw the distraught and depression that had been adorned by Celty's nonexistent face. He slowly rubbed her back, trying to comfort her. Her neck was buried next to his as he continued trying to show her everything would be alright; though he wasn't completely sure that he was telling her the truth. Shinra slowly began to kiss the neck lying on his collar.

Suddenly, Celty's chest expanded, taking in a large breath. As Shinra continued to kiss Celty's neck so softly, her hand slowly coiled itself up his neck to hold his face. Her hand was warm, coursing with blood that didn't move through her veins; despite such a thing, he felt warmth circulate between hand and face.

Shinra slowly raised his hand to hold Celty's back. He slowly ran his hand up and down her spine, barely brushing his fingers against the cloth of her shirt. The smoke issuing from Celty's neck slowly increased as larger volumes plumed out of her neck, like a breath.

He paused, and buried his face in her collar; strangely, he didn't seem to be doing it out of play. Celty cocked her neck towards Shinra's concealed face. _What's wrong, Shinra?_

There was a silence for what felt like decades. Not even the city below their nest was sounding in its typical way. Such a still silence only managed to trouble Celty even more.

"I just don't want to lose you…" Celty raised herself off of Shinra and cupped his face in her warm hand. Such sincerity from such a simple gesture. Celty stared deep into the young man's eyes, seeing his grief, his fear. He, in turn, stared back into hers; though there was no face to convey her torrent of emotions, he saw them: her reassurance, her empathy, her fear.

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It was a long, excruciating time before Shinra finally fell asleep. After making sure that he was, Celty got out of bed from next to him. Slowly and cautiously she inched out of her laying-down position, to standing next to her companion. He was so peaceful. She stared so longingly at him, standing by his side. She knelt down next to him, face to void. He still had his glasses on.

_You can be a real idiot sometimes…_

She slowly withdrew his glasses from their perch atop his face. As she did so, an imprint of the frame became more and more apparent on his face. She smiled, but her heart began to wrench and twist within her chest. Her insides felt contorted and a burning sensation steadily rose into her neck. As she placed the glasses atop the nightstand, her free hand had tightened into a fist, and was getting tighter. She moved her hand over Shinra's face and held it just an inch above it. As much as she wanted to feel his warm face again, part of her consciousness was fighting back. If she touched his face again, she would never be able to leave his side that night. She couldn't knowingly put her life on the line and make Shinra suffer how he would without her.

She pulled her hand away and stood up. As she turned towards the door, she craned her neck to face the sleeping man. Her neck felt like it was going to melt and her chest was tight enough to make her stop breathing. As she shut his door, she took one last look and said, _I love you, Shinra._

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Shinra found himself slowly waking from his sleep. He lazily turned and readjusted, eyes still sealed. He thought of the prior night and his love. He had noticed her absence next to him, but he disregarded it as simply her being elsewhere in the dim apartment. He stretched his legs and arms, as if were being drawn and quartered. Wincing, he held his limbs out, muscles taunt and beginning to spasm. To Shinra, this was simply another typical morning: quiet except for his grunts as he stretched his arms and legs. As Shinra turned, he looked at the clock on the nightstand, and promptly turned onto his stomach and buried his head in the pillow.

"It's too earlllyyyyyyy" he groaned, muffled by the pillow. His body was sprawled on the bed, only partially covered by sheets.

"Morning sleepyhead," someone said, a large amount of sarcasm in their voice. Shinra turned his head, still dazed and half-asleep. He opened his eyes once again, and found a pair of blue-green eyes staring right back at him. Light-brown locks dangled in front of them, and down fair face towards an annoyed smile. He was caught completely off-guard and suddenly jumped and sat up, eyes wide open.

"…Celty? Is that you, or is this a dream I'm in?"

So she punched him in the gut.

After writhing around for a few seconds, he looked himself over, obviously not dreaming.

Shinra immediately became dumbfounded; the remains of his conscious thoughts were now strew in a sporadic pattern from grenade explosion.

The woman before him was beautiful, to say the least. Her sophistication was matched only by the elegance of the atmosphere that exuded from her. Waves of amber draped in front of such a fair face, hidden just enough to conceal, but also expose such a simple smile. Though simple could hardly begin to describe such a smile, so full of passion, ecstasy, and relief. But looking into the blue-green canyons and ridges of her eyes completely robbed Shinra of every sort of ability to communicate successfully.

The best he could manage was absolute gibberish and slurring of his tongue as it continued to be caught and tortured by his vocal cords. But in light of such an event, his butchering of the language was, at the least, sign of the sight he saw.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Oh such a voice of soft and femininity. Such gentle touch it had as it flowed through the air and caressed Shinra's being.

He stared so long into the kaleidoscopes of blue and green that stared back at him through slowly massing tears.

Celty thrust her arms round Shinra's shoulders, crying of relief and happiness. Shinra took her cheek in the palm of his hand and she looked up at him, smile as broad as her smooth face. He took his thumb, wiping a tear from the top of her cheek.

There was a moment when the lights began to dim, and for a split second, there was no light. But in that same split second, the pitch blackness erupted into colors of love, passion and happiness. White-hot heat bleeded into their combined senses and surged through every vein, every artery, every cell in their bodies. In all of his curiosity, Shinra could never have imagined such ecstasy when he first kissed the love of his life. But though lips glided against one another and parted to allow another between them, Shinra could not, would not allow himself to do anything but embrace the overload of his senses and would not allow himself to think, rather simply feel. What good was typical thought in communicating his bliss in slowly and passionately replacing lip over lip in such a beautiful dance with his partner? What good was analysis compared to the distinct sound of his partner losing her breath as he continued, albeit at a novice level.

White-heat bled brighter as Celty began to slip her tongue between Shinra's lips. Oh the feeling of tastebud rubbing tastebud, the feeling of examining and reexamining the warm sensation of Celty's mouth. No discernible thought passed through either brain, overloaded with such ecstasies and fervid feelings. But as such a quantity of stimulus bombarded their minds, time felt frozen as Shinra and Celty kissed each other.

Shinra had never imagined that he could one day kiss the woman of his dreams. As skin rubbed skin and lips rubbed lips, Shinra's ecstasy blinded him and sent his senses beyond their capacities. Pleasure-filled gasps wafted out of his partners mouth as fingers ran through his hair and clenched bed sheets. All that existed in the world was the two bodies, consumed in passion. Every sense bled white hot to the point where bodies weren't distinguishable from one another; rather, a single body remained. And as scream echoed through the room, the white hot grew infinitely hotter and exploded in a supernova of sensory overload and raw passion.

Celty lay asleep, warm chest and face pressed comfortably against Shinra. As he took in long breathes, fingers gently caressed soft brown waves of hair. He looked at Celty with such content in his gaze, his sleeping beauty lying ever so snugly atop his chest. As much as he wanted to continue adorning her with his affection, Shinra could not bring himself to disturb her.

"After all this time, I was so afraid of losing you if you got your head back," he whispered. "But you were right: I really am an idiot. But you're the one who loves an idiot, so-". Shinra found his mouth clamped shut by thumb and forefinger.

"Have I ever told you that you talk too much?"

"At least once every day." Shinra smiled and Celty laughed.

My days are always the same

No big hopes or fears

Nothing changing

But how full they seem

I'm here

Your there

If I am your salvation

Then you are mine


End file.
